Red Charade-Mylisssa
by The Pick-A-Prompt Contest
Summary: Bella's friends can't stand Edward and his, but week after week, they show up to the same hangouts. Maybe it's meant to be, or maybe they're missing something.


2018 TFN Pick-A-Prompt Contest

Title: Red Charade

Summary: Bella's friends can't stand Edward and his, but week after week, they show up to the same hangouts. Maybe it's meant to be, or maybe they're missing something.

Pairing: Edward Bella

Rating: M

Word Count: 14,967

DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.

Bella pulled the itchy Santa hat off her head for the last time and threw it in the trash—a burden she was ready to forget as she attempted to plump up the flat ring of hair it squished to her head. She'd already thrown it away once, but at the request of the partners that they be worn through the end of the month, she'd had to retrieve the offending object and brush it off, all the while cursing under her breath.

Her co-worker, Angela, flicked off the lobby lights before her hat joined Bella's. "I won't miss that. Next year, let's suggest cute headbands."

"Let's." Bella held the door open as they made their way outside. Chilly, northwest air penetrated their nylons below their pencil skirts—Bella's black; Angela's beige. "If they suggest bunny ears around Easter, I'm out." She locked the door although the firm was far from empty. Those left would likely be working into the night, but no one new would be entering the building. Bella felt for those whose work deadlines kept them from their homes for late hours, but at least no one thought it would be festive for _them_ to spend their workday with cheap, scratchy holiday spirit on their heads. The entire ordeal had further proven Bella's suspicion that both Angela and herself we merely at the office to provide nothing more than decorations for the entryway.

Bella and Angela walked side by side, heels clicking against the pavement. They made their way through the parking lot just as twilight tucked in the sun's final ray along the horizon. Although they never arrived to work together as they'd coordinated their schedule to take morning classes on opposite days, they always managed to park near each other, so the walk to their cars under the Seattle lights seemed less daunting. As the daughter of a small-town police chief, Bella was always cautious of her surroundings.

"It's a great job," Angela said as she pulled out her key fob. "The job that is ours. It's great."

"Fabulous job for sure." And Bella meant it. Although, at times, she felt like a robot with the suggested accessories and forced smiles for clients with no patience and the finicky ones who couldn't possibly drink the brand of bottled water they had. Working as a law firm receptionist had more perks than drawbacks.

It was made clear when she'd started that working on her schoolwork was acceptable during any downtime. Angela and Bella had developed a system: along with rotating their morning class schedules, they switched off work duties to accommodate their assignments. Angela knew just how Bella took her coffee, and Bella had managed to learn Angela's bizarre lunch habits. The only thing that could have bettered their system was if Angela was also an English major.

"Going out with the girls tonight?" Angela asked before they went their separate ways.

"Of course. You should come." Bella pulled her jacket closed against a gust of wind as she made the same request she made every week.

Angela wiggled her fingers, flashing her ring. "I would, but we have reservations tonight."

Between school, work, and marriage, Bella didn't know if Angela ever made time for friends. She gave her a tight smile. She understood Angela's dilemma, but she couldn't help but think that it didn't have to be that way. With the holidays, Bella and Angela had taken several days off, and Bella missed her friend. "Maybe you both can join us New Year's Eve?"

Angela let out a huff, clearly wanting to accept the invitation, but other obligations were always holding her back. "Ben has this work party, but maybe we can make an appearance at both."

"Sounds perfect," Bella said as she unlocked her car, thinking compromise was the key to any relationship—marriage or otherwise. "I'll text you the details."

~Red Charade~

Rosalie and Alice were already waiting outside her tiny studio when Bella arrived. Their place was much bigger as they roomed together, having been best friends since grade school, but they often met at Bella's since it was within walking distance of some of their favorite hangouts.

Bella ignored their complaints about waiting as she let them inside the cramped space. Her lease was up at the end of January, and she would not be renewing. Rosalie threw her jacket haphazardly on Bella's couch and didn't pick it up when it slid to the floor. Alice began digging through Bella's mail as soon as she set it on the counter. Bella had grown used to their behaviors in the two years she had been friends with them—ever since the moment they had met on the university campus tour before freshman year. In time, Bella learned that Rosalie and Alice didn't let their guard down easily, but when they did, they got really comfortable.

A pendulum light flickered over a box of chocolates on the counter that Bella had received the week before; a gift from one of the partners. "How are there any of these left?" Rosalie asked as she lifted the lid.

"Saving them for you." Bella grabbed a fresh outfit and left her friends so she could take a quick shower. It was a feat, but somehow she managed to squeeze just enough product out of her near-empty toiletries to get by.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Alice was glowering at her. "Your milk is rancid, and your fridge is practically empty. I know that deli across the street is good, but you should have something here, Bella. This isn't healthy."

"I don't know when the last time I needed milk was, and I go shopping on Saturdays. Relax," Bella said, not understanding why she'd have to defend herself over her eating habits.

"Sucks." Rosalie popped another chocolate into her mouth. "These are amazing, but now I'm thirsty."

Bella filled a glass up at the sink. When Rosalie scrunched her nose, Bella turned on the ridiculous smile she saved for the fussy clients at work.

Rosalie took a sip and then dumped the rest down the drain. "Are we set on going to Blush? We haven't been to Crimson in forever."

Bella fiddled with the silver bracelet around her left wrist. "Or Scarlett. We never go to Scarlett."

Alice blotted her lipstick and handed Bella the now-printed Kleenex. "Scarlett isn't a place. You made that up. And where did you get that bracelet anyway?"

"It was a gift." Bella balled up the tissue and tossed it. "And red's red, right? Who cares what we call these places. They're all named Red."

Alice opened her mouth to argue, but Rosalie was quick to cover it with one hand while with the other, she flicked Bella's ear. "Don't you two start. We're going to Blush as planned."

The trio challenged each other with a stare down until Bella broke it with her laughter. Alice's lipstick was smeared, and Rosalie's hand bore the evidence.

~Red Charade~

They only made it two steps inside the full nightclub when Rosalie stopped, holding her arms in front of her friends to halt them as well. "They're here. I can feel it. Let's go to Crimson."

Alice looked around, but Bella grabbed Rosalie's arm and pulled her forward. "You can't possibly feel that. And even if they're here, who cares? Let's dance."

Rosalie relented when Alice pulled on her as well. "Come on. I don't see them."

They always started their nights with a sober dance before they decided what kind of drinks the night called for.

"Long Island," Rosalie shouted over the music as she moved her hands up her black halter dress.

Bella was about to agree when she followed Alice's line of sight to a group of overly made up girls.

Alice turned to her friends with pleading, silver-lined eyes. "We never get the blue ones with the flashy thingy."

Bella managed to hide her smile, but Rosalie did not. She moved her long blonde hair off her shoulder, and said, "Go ask that hot bartender for three blue, flashy thingies. I dare you."

"Worst dare ever." Alice turned away too quickly and stumbled a few steps. "I'm okay," she said as she righted herself. "I've got this."

Rosalie grabbed Bella's waist and started dancing again. "And she's not even drinking yet."

Bella danced with Rosalie like no one else existed. There was nothing more freeing than being with girlfriends. If only Angela would spend an evening away from her husband or even bring him along, she would fit in with Bella's other friends flawlessly. Bella just knew it, but really, when it came to friendships and relationships, Bella wasn't someone who should be giving advice to anyone.

Alice returned after weaving through the crowd and wiggled herself between Bella and Rosalie. They were quick to make room for the shorter girl.

Rosalie, always one for a show, pressed her back against Alice's and dropped low. When she came back up, she shouted, "Did you chicken out?"

Alice tried to act like she couldn't hear her and instead waved to a guy beside them who was solo dancing. When said guy started creeping closer, as a connected unit, they shimmied away, bumping into a few other dancers who paid them little mind.

"I can buy the drinks," Bella offered.

Alice didn't make eye contact. She was suddenly required to watch the floor as she danced. "They've already been ordered. A few guys are holding a table for us."

"What guys?" Rosalie asked only to be met with a shrug from Alice. "A blond one that moves his eyebrows constantly, a burly one that doesn't know what personal space is, and a crazy-haired one that never shuts up?"

Alice gave a nervous smile before answering. "About sums them up, yeah."

Rosalie's head fell back as she let out a dramatic sigh. "How did you let this happen? They annoy you even more than they annoy Bella and me."

Alice led the girls away from the grinding bodies. "I know, but when I ordered three blue, flashy thingies, it was that redhead lady, not the hot guy, and she laughed at me. Jasper just happened to come up behind me, and he asked her to make it six blue, flashy thingies. He paid for all of them, too. What was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, he just happened to come up behind you? How did they find us? You didn't tweet our plans again, did you?" Rosalie asked.

Alice's jaw dropped. "No, I swear. I was really cryptic this time."

Rosalie glared at Bella. "I told you they were here."

"Because they show up wherever we go. You haven't developed a sixth sense." Bella led the way to where Emmett, the burly space hoarder, was waving them over.

"Yes, I have." Rosalie grabbed Bella's hand and stopped her from going any further. "It's called self-preservation. If they keep crowding us every time we go out, we'll be single forever."

Bella looked around as she prepared to prove a point. "There are no free tables. So let's just take advantage of a saved table and free drink. Then, we can go back to dancing without them."

Rosalie squared her shoulders and adjusted her dress. "Fine."

"Hello, ladies," Emmett called out as they approached.

Jasper, the blond eyebrow wiggler, tipped his imaginary hat and lifted his brows. "Looking lovely as always."

Edward, with his hair standing on end and his button up looking iron pressed, didn't disappoint with his reputation of being a chatterbox. "Rosalie, Allison, Isabella. I'm loving the drink choice this evening. What's in it anyway? Do you think the flash changes the flavor?"

Bella watched his hands as they curled around his drink. He had really great hands. The guys had a free seat and drink between each one of them, clearly a setup to get the girls to sit by them instead of by each other.

Alice took the seat between Jasper and Emmett, avoiding sitting by Edward who had already riled her up. "How the hell would it change the flavor? And stop with the Allison crap. My name doesn't have to be short for something." She took a long pull from her drink. "Wow. This is really good."

Bella, taking her seat between Edward and Jasper, leaving Rose to sit by Emmett and Edward, took a sip and agreed.

"Damn good," Emmett said. "Next round's on me."

Rosalie gave Bella a look that said, "Get us out of this."

Bella leaned over Edward to speak into Rosalie's ear. "Two drinks, and we'll ditch them, okay? These are actually really good, and we don't know what they're called."

Rosalie gave a tight smile and dipped her chin in the briefest of nods.

It was warm from the many bodies sweating in the club, but the friction created from Bella rubbing her arm against Edward's chest was hotter. As she moved back to sitting upright, she hesitated. He smelled really good.

He broke the moment by opening his mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you two not see me here?" he asked with mock offense. "If you wanted to switch seats, you could have just asked."

Without a moment of hesitation, Rosalie said, "Switch me."

Not about to be subject to Emmett's elbow nudges, Bella placed her arm on Edward's bicep and didn't miss the way he flexed his muscle under her touch, said "No, I still want to sit by you. Switch me."

Edward shrugged at Rosalie and offered her an apology before switching seats with Bella. Their bodies brushed as they moved past each other, and he placed his hand on her hip as he guided her past him. He gave a squeeze before he let go. Even if they'd been standing outside, after that touch, Bella wouldn't have been cold.

Through gritted teeth, Rosalie asked, "What the hell, Bella? Since when do you flirt to get your way?"

Through clenched teeth of her own, Bella replied, "Since I learned that I could."

Bella looked back at Edward. His eyes lit up as she smiled at him. It was that reaction she'd realized she was getting from him the first night they'd met, met after Rosalie had asked Emmett to dance—a fact Rosalie didn't like brought up. She's the one who had started all this. That reaction from Edward though had shown Bella a power she didn't know she had. He didn't seem to mind how often she used it on him either.

Edward and Jasper began discussing an upcoming meeting as they worked in the same financial department. Bella caught the lost expression on Emmett's face as he tried to follow their conversation and wondered if he ever felt like the third wheel as Bella sometimes did. Alice and Rosalie had a lifetime of inside jokes and many hours of every day spent together in classes and as roommates. Although they had made room for Bella in their lives, there were times when there was nowhere for her to fit.

Bella leaned toward Rosalie's ear and asked, "They really aren't that bad, are they?"

When she started to move back to get Rosalie's response, they were both startled to find that Emmett had leaned in closer as if the three of them were in a huddle.

"Yes," Rosalie said. "Yes, they are."

Bella took a large gulp of the blue liquid in front of her. "How about those drinks, Emmett? These are nearly gone."

"Thank you," Rosalie said after Emmett fist bumped everyone at the table and headed to the bar. Low in Bella's ear, she added, "I don't think the other two would notice if we left."

Bella moved her chair back as if they were going to do just that, but Edward, still caught up in his conversation, immediately turned to her and asked, "Am I losing you already?"

"No, just stretching," Bella said, effectively erasing the worry from his features.

When Edward went back to his conversation with Jasper, Rosalie tapped her nails against her empty glass. "What the hell? It's like we're just sharing the table."

Rosalie tended to contradict herself on her feeling for the guys she claimed annoyed her. Had they not shown up, she'd be trying to figure out why.

Bella watched and listened to Edward speak. He talked a lot, that part was true, but Bella didn't think it was too much. She didn't listen to the words as his work talk made little sense to her when he wasn't using layman's terms. Instead, she listened to the passion in his voice, the concern for others he tried to be accommodating for, and the strategic way he made plans. She watched his lips as they wrapped around words. When his tongue just barely peeked out, she had to look away. Clenching her knees together, she tried not to fantasize, but having him so close, looking and acting the way he did, made it hard for her to keep her thoughts innocent.

By the time Emmett came back, and the next round of drinks had been served, Alice had stolen Emmett's seat, and he was forced to take the seat between her and Jasper. Bella caught Jasper looking sheepish as he peered over at Alice. Jasper didn't have to say much. His face always said it all; a fact Alice would have appreciated more if she wasn't always absorbed in something else.

Bella felt bad for him. When it came to guys, Alice was often aloof. Looking between the two, she realized Jasper had saved Alice from her drink fiasco, and Alice had agreed to us sitting with them, but they were back at a standstill.

It took three pokes on Edward's side for Bella to break through his conversation with Jasper so she could get a word in. She'd tried to wait for an opening, but several minutes later, that moment never came.

"Yeah?" he reached over and poked her back.

"Sorry to interrupt." She turned on her flirtatious smile to cover up her rudeness. At least she had good intentions. She spoke into Edward's ear, blocking her mouth from the side to ensure no one else would hear or read her lips. "If Jasper likes Alice, he should know, she has this huge thing about belts matching shoes. It's one of her turn-ons. Maybe you could let him know." It was the only gripe she could recall Alice having about Jasper. Most of her annoyances were with Edward's words and Emmett's awkward closeness.

"Yeah, sure." Edward didn't bother whispering. "What about you though? What's yours?"

Even though Bella blushed at the question, Edward waited for an answer.

She closed her eyes and opened them slowly. "You have to ask?"

He'd already discovered countless ways to make her lose her breath.

He lifted his drink and clicked it with hers. "Cheers to that. So, how was work?"

Bella shrugged. "Same as always, but I got to throw the Santa hat away. I'm sure it gave me a rash. Can you see one?" she asked as she tilted her head forward.

"No, but your hair smells good." He rubbed a chestnut tress between his fingers.

"You, too," she said. "I mean you, not your hair. I mean your hair, too. Whatever. You know what I mean."

He laughed at her fumbling words and rested his arm on the back of her chair. The soft-pink, glowing spotlights did nothing to heighten his features. For that night, he was on his own. Bella liked the flashing, red lights at Crimson that brought out the bronze hints in his hair. The low lighting at Sunset Hill's acoustic setup made him look mysterious and mischievous. The strobe lighting and flaming drinks at the underground club they'd only gone to once made him look like chaos incarnate as he approached her with an outstretched hand and his hair standing on end the first time she ever saw him. Chaos, she chuckled recalling her first impression of him. He'd proven to be one of the most put together people she'd ever met.

The natural feel at Blush let Bella notice deeper aspects. She could see how much the scruff on his face had grown since the time he'd apologized for not having had time to shave, and she'd let him know that she was more than okay with that. The lighting also didn't distract her vision, and she caught him every time he looked her way. In turn, he also caught her catching. Bella leaned back, feeling the material covering his arm against her skin and creating the kind of sensation she could feel all the way to her toes.

At each place they went, Alice would find a poetic way to tweet about their surroundings, but she never saw the atmosphere the way Bella did when she saw it in terms of Edward.

Bella missed whatever led up to what she caught next: Emmett's hand on Alice's shoulder as he said, "For such a tiny thing, you're really funny."

"All right, hands off," Rosalie said and downed the rest of her drink.

Alice and Bella followed suit. They both knew what came next, and by the slump of the guy's posture, they did, too.

"Sorry," Bella said, trying to spare feelings before Rosalie could dismiss them. "We really need to be getting back to our girl's night."

"Are you sure? I can buy shots." Edward pushed up his sleeves.

Jasper raised his eyebrows and looked at Alice. "The neon ones in the tubes if you want."

Alice started gnawing on her lower lip. At least Jasper had learned something in his months of observing her.

Rosalie wasn't having it though. "Maybe next time. We're not drinking anymore tonight. We'll be at Scarlett on New Year's Eve if you guys are free and want to stop by."

Those eyebrows of Jasper's pulled together. "Is that the new place with the open mic nights?"

"Yes," Rosalie said a little too fast. "You guys have a great night. Thanks for the drinks."

Alice followed Rosalie immediately, but Bella pushed in her chair and gave Edward a look, daring him to do something. His eyes wandered over her, lingering on her legs. By the time his eyes made their way back up, she was walking away. She could feel his gaze on her every step of the way.

They pushed through bodies to find their own space. With Rosalie's icy glare, it wasn't hard to get people out of their way. Three guys, who weren't the ones they'd just walked away from, tried to join them, but Rosalie took one look at their attire, shook her head, and let them know that on girl's night, they danced alone.

As alcohol warmed their veins, the girls found their rhythm. Every time they were approached, Alice and Bella looked to Rose who was quick to read the silent exchange and swat the men away.

A new song came on, one of Bella's favorite, but she was disappointed when the mixing made it almost unrecognizable. She turned her body in a full circle, hoping to regroup and at the same time, check out her surroundings. When she turned back to her friends though, they had moved closer together in a dance fit for two. Bella wasn't Alice—in either size or personality. She wasn't about to squeeze her way back in.

Awkwardly, she danced by herself beside them. It wasn't the same. If it weren't for them, she would never dance in nightclubs in the first place. Closing her eyes, she pretended she was still a part of their circle. She knew it wouldn't be long before they realized what they were doing and pulled her back in. If Angela would just come out with them, Bella would never have to feel like the third wheel.

Someone placed their hands on Bella's waist from behind, startling her, as they were clearly not coming from the direction her friends were in.

"Is this okay?" a voice asked in her ear and took all her frazzled nerves and relaxed them.

She should have known that Edward would notice her plight and rescue her. She turned in his hold and clasped her arms around his neck. "Very."

They danced together in a way that was as familiar as Alice and Rosalie's movements, but as sexy as the two girls grinding together appeared, it lacked something that Bella's body created with Edward: intensity and intimacy.

"Do you like this song?" Edward asked as his hands grazed a bit low on her back.

Bella pressed closer. No matter how hot it was, she welcomed his kind of heat. "I did in the beginning, but then they obliterated it. Some songs should just be left alone."

He laughed, forehead leaned just inches from hers. "Maybe that open mic night will have better music. Crimson, was it?"

Bella bit the inside of her cheek. "That's what I hear. Are you going?"

He flashed his teeth as he grinned and looked over her shoulder. "I think Rosalie might need a break from us interrupting girl's night."

Bella, who quite enjoyed having him as part of girl's night, shook her head. "New Year's Eve isn't girl's night."

She moved her thumb down his jaw, and his eyes closed. When he opened them, he said, "How long do you think I have before they save you from me."

"Seconds," Bella breathed out, looking into his eyes with no intention to stop. "Sorry in advance."

He was the last person she needed saving from. As he looked at her with longing, but also understanding, she wanted him to kiss her. Well, she wanted him to kiss her in general, but actually kissing her at that moment as they danced beside her friends, she didn't know if she wanted that and the drama that came with it. Locked in the depth of his gaze though, she stopped caring about bristling from friends or bubbles that may burst. She ran her tongue along her lower lip and ran her fingertip across the fullness of his.

Edward gave her a smile bright enough to light the whole world, but instead of bringing his mouth to hers, he turned his head to the side and pressed a kiss to her wrist.

"Ew!" Rosalie shouted and pulled Bella out of Edward's arms. "What are you doing to her?"

Edward rubbed the back of his neck. "Just admiring her bracelet."

Rosalie took a step closer to him. "Yeah, well, it was a gift, and you just defiled it. Have a good night. We're leaving."

Bella and Alice followed Rosalie out the door. The night felt remarkably colder now that she'd been in the sweaty club and the sweltering embrace she'd been ripped away from. Having just ditched Edward, Bella felt terrible, but she'd make it up to him. Right now, Rosalie was fuming. A reaction that didn't make a lot of sense.

"What the hell was that, Bella?" Rosalie asked as they made their way down the street.

Bella stopped walking. "I don't get what the big deal is. You were dancing with Alice, and I was dancing with Edward."

"No," Rosalie said. "We were dancing with you. What were you trying to accomplish? Did you want to find out if he could literally talk your ear off?"

"Good point," Alice said. "He couldn't even stop talking while dancing. Who does that?"

"Who runs out of a club over a shoulder touch and a wrist kiss?" Bella had had enough. She took off walking without them. Finding the guys mildly annoying was one thing, but this was starting to feel mean and uncalled for.

"Don't just huff off," Rosalie said as they caught up to Bella. "Do you like him or something?"

"He's really sweet," Bella admitted. "And even you can't deny that he's hot."

"Good point," Alice said. "He is. All three of them are actually."

"Obviously." Rosalie scoffed. "That part is as annoying as they are." Rosalie stopped in front of Bella and grasped both of her arms above her elbows. "Next time they manage to crash our girl's night, I'll be nicer, okay? Promise."

Bella nodded, but Alice demanded the three of them pinky swear on it.

~Red Charade~

At Alice's insistence that the three friends coordinate their attire for the New Year's Eve celebration they were attending at their apartment complex, Bella made an insistence of her own, an insistence that they all wear red.

As the trio prepared for their evening, Bella looked down at how deep the V below her neckline went and instantly regretted that she had let Alice talk her into the purchase without trying it on first. The chandelier earrings Rosalie let her borrow were also larger than she would have ever chosen for herself. The whole ensemble made her feel like she was walking in a fog.

When Bella received a selfie of Angela all primped and ready to attend her husband's work party, Bella forced a smile and sent her a selfie as well. The two gushed over each other's look for the evening and expressed their hope that Angela would be able to come by for a bit.

Before the ladies left the apartment to head down to the lobby, Alice brushed shimmery powder along all of their collarbones, Rosalie touched up all their lips with a color as bright red as their varied dresses, and Bella sprayed them with a final spritz of perfume.

As Rosalie locked the door, she said, "I feel like a jerk, but I just got this image of Jasper wandering the streets with his guitar, looking for a place called Scarlett."

The image flashed in Bella's mind. It was sad, thinking of Jasper outside on New Year's Eve, wandering and lost.

"Well, that's depressing," Alice said. "Hopefully he Googled it and figured out it isn't real. Wait. He doesn't actually play guitar, does he?"

Rosalie looked at Alice in disbelief. "Uh, yeah. He writes music and lyrics, too. Edward was going on and on about it like a month ago. Do you not pay them any attention at all?"

Alice shrugged. "Well, no. Not really. I just try not to be rude before you decide it's time to ditch them."

"All right," Bella said to Alice as they stepped into the empty elevator. "If Rosalie is going to be nice next time we see them, you have to try to pay better attention."

"And what are you going to do?" Rosalie asked as she pressed the button that would bring them to the lobby.

"Ooo, I know." Alice clapped, turning her devious eyes to Bella. "Next time they crash our evening, you should act obnoxiously happy to see them."

Bella rolled her eyes. She knew she'd look silly, but she'd try. They locked pinkies before stepping out of the elevator and heading to the rented room right off the lobby where they greeted Stefan, the man in their building throwing the party. He was confident and smooth, and friendly in a way that he made friends instantly. After distant hugs and kisses to the air near their cheeks, they headed straight to the bar set up in the corner and walked away with glasses of champagne.

The girls were a bit overdressed in comparison to the other attendant's casual attire, but the champagne was abundant as were tiny samplings of finger foods. Bella snapped a photo of the three of them with her phone and sent it off to Angela. A returned text showed a photo of a nearly-empty glass of white wine and a bored looking Angela. Bella insisted she would have a good time if she met up with them, and once again, Angela promised she'd try.

As the evening went on, Alice, Rosalie, and Bella filled themselves on more than their fair share of drinks and snacks. The evening allowed for them to chat and laugh in a way their usual outings didn't allow for.

Rosalie licked salt off her fingers and glanced toward the entrance. "People keep showing up with bottles. I didn't know we were supposed to do that. I'm going to run upstairs and grab something." She started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to her friends. "Is it weird if the bottle is already open?"

Bella chuckled mid-drink, causing champagne to fill her nose.

"Yes," Alice said through giggles of her own. "There's a brand new bottle of Pinot up there. We'll come with you."

Rosalie waved her off. "No, stay here. I need to return a call."

Mingling with others was easier without Rosalie around. People seemed to approach them more often. Bella kept an eye on the front door and was disappointed when every newcomer that entered wasn't a familiar face. She didn't want to be overbearing, so she didn't contact Angela again.

The next group that entered though didn't disappoint Bella at all. She handed her glass to Alice. "Excuse me a moment." She headed straight for the new guests. "Emmett! I'm so glad to see you." She wrapped her arms around him, and if he was surprised by her enthusiasm, he recovered quick enough to not let it show.

"You look gorgeous," he said as he lifted her up and spun her around.

She thanked him as he set her down and turned her attention to Edward. She let out a squeal and pinched his cheeks before pulling him into a hug. She didn't give him time to react or herself given his proximity. Pivoting to the left, she embraced Jasper. "I can't believe you're here."

Just as Bella thought it was too bad that Rosalie missed her show, she noticed Rosalie hadn't missed it at all. As she stepped away from Jasper, she saw Rosalie standing behind him, her eyes **flamethrowers** aimed at the back of Emmett's head.

Edward, not seeing the scene beginning behind him, gave Bella's forearm a gentle squeeze, and asked, "What was that all about?"

Alice had already rushed over to Rosalie, so Bella told Edward, "I'm just really thrilled you're all here." She placed her hand over the top of his. "Give me just a sec, okay?"

"I'm going to get a restraining order," Rosalie said as she handed the wine bottle to Alice and firmly crossed her arms.

"What? Why?" Bella asked.

Rosalie turned her glare back toward the guys. "Because we live here. They shouldn't be where we live."

"Oh." Bella took Rosalie's hand, trying to reassure her. "I understand. I'll ask them to leave."

"No," Alice said, giving Rosalie a look that had her backing down from her rigid stance. "I'm sure they have a reason for being here, and you promised you'd be nice."

"You tweeted something, didn't you?" Rosalie asked.

Alice looked up at the ceiling. "I may have, but it's not my fault they know where we live."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked. "It's not like I gave them your address. I hope you're not implying that."

This time, it was Rosalie giving Bella the reassuring squeeze. "Relax. I may have told them which building we were in back in the beginning before the three of them got on every single nerve ending I have."

Bella swallowed hard and relaxed. "So, I gave them my overly-eager greeting. You two are up."

Rosalie straightened out her posture and plastered on a smile. "Hey, Emmett. Let's go get a drink."

Left alone with Bella, Alice said, "That wasn't about them. She just got off the phone with Garrett."

"Haunting exes," Bella said. Rosalie had broken up with Garrett months ago, but he came back around every so often, hoping for another chance and leaving Rosalie feeling guilty that she didn't want to be with him. "Maybe Emmett will help her forget about him."

Alice hummed. "Maybe."

Bella noticed that Jasper was following the fashion advice she had Edward pass on. "I can't quite pinpoint it, but something about Jasper seems different." She turned Alice so they were both facing him. "You should go say, 'Hi.'"

"Okay." Alice pulled at the short length of her dress. "Let's meet back here in five. If I'm not here, you rescue me and vice versa."

They locked pinkies and then headed toward Edward and Jasper where Bella linked her arm with Edward's and led him several feet away.

"Jasper took the advice, I see," Bella said.

"Yeah, he was all over it. The guy needs all the help he can get." His eyes lowered to the V in her dress. "I'm one-hundred percent sure I've never seen you in this dress."

Bella became bolder by the way he drunk her in. "You don't like it?"

"Opposite," he said and looked back up to her eyes.

"Do you think you'd like it better if it were a different color?" she asked, teasing him. "Maybe blue?"

He shook his head but avoided looking at her dress as he did.

"Maybe green would be more your style," she said, daring him to respond.

"I know what you're trying to do, Swan. I'm not falling for it. It's a nice dress."

"Swan, is it?"

He quirked a brow. "Unless something's changed."

"Well, no, but anyway … I'm glad you're here for real, not just whatever it was I was acting like when you got here."

He laughed and glanced toward where Emmett was balancing an olive on his nose as Rosalie stood beside him with an amused smirk on her face. "You know, this is the first time I've been in a room with the three of you where I didn't feel like you were going to be ripped away from me at any second."

Bella looked toward Alice and Jasper and caught her feeding him a bite of whatever was on her plate. "I know, right? In fact, you get me for three more minutes."

"Lucky me." He put his hand on her lower back as they brought the bottle of wine to the bar.

Bella looked over her shoulder and studied the ease in which her friends were conversing with Edward's and once again noticed that Angela wasn't there.

"No show?" Edward pinched the end of Bella's chin.

"Guess so." She tugged on the open zipper of his brown leather jacket. "Have I told you how good you look in this jacket?"

She looked at his lips, and in turn, he looked at hers. "I think you've mentioned it."

Stefan approached Edward and clapped his back. "Edward, my man. You made it."

"Yeah, thanks for the invite. This is awesome."

After giving Bella a friendly nod, Stefan gave his full attention to Edward.

Bella busied her mouth with her lips against her glass until Stefan moved on. "So, you know Stefan?"

"Oh, yeah. Stefan and I go way back."

"How far back?" Bella asked.

"As far back as yesterday."

"And your time with me is up," Bella said as Alice made her way to where they agreed to meet.

"Damn. That went by fast," Edward said as he moved in closer. "Can I kiss you?"

She licked her lips, trying to make it clear that she wanted him to do just that. "Do you have to ask?" She pulled the zipper on his jacket up a few inches and then back down.

Edward smirked and shook his head before he looked over her shoulder toward where Rosalie was laughing at Emmett. As the look on Edward's face changed, Bella was resigned. Had they actually kissed in that moment, everything might have changed.

"Well, if Rosalie scares you, here." Bella turned and tapped just below her cheekbone.

"Really?" Edward took an offended step back.

Bella ticked her tongue and shrugged. "With all this asking and hesitating, I'm not sure what you want from me."

He took her hand away from her face and kissed her knuckles. "And if I don't ask?"

She closed her eyes as he trailed his lips to the pulse point on her wrist. "Then let's hope you just do."

"Well, then it's a good thing this night's not over. I'm stealing you away again later."

Bella was unable to respond as his lips had found her cheek and his fingers found the skin beneath her ear on the opposite side. A sharp inhale lifted her chest, causing her breasts to hit his arm and his breath to stagger out at the same rate as hers.

"Wait," Bella said, unsure if they'd get a moment alone again. "Let's take a picture."

She might as well have been wearing clunky work boots with how heavy her steps were as she walked away from him. There was a live wire connecting them that wanted to pull her back. She had to push not to let it.

"Should we save Rosalie?" Bella asked as she spotted Emmett's large arm settle around Rose's waist as they chatted with Stefan.

Alice giggled and sipped her champagne. "No way. She likes him. She's just not admitting it to herself or anyone else."

Bella hadn't gotten that impression. "Are you drunk?"

Alice smirked into her glass. "No, just bubbly. Do you get it? Bubbly." She showed Bella the bubbling liquid in her glass. "Let's get more."

Bella agreed. She didn't feel silly yet, and Alice was still walking straight.

~Red Charade~

Rosalie never made her way back to Bella and Alice, and instead of saving her, they got dizzy on champagne and gossiped about reality TV. As midnight approached, the chatter surrounding them became hoots and hollers. Bella looked at Edward from across the room, and he motioned with his head toward a door that led to a stairwell.

Just as she was about to come up with an excuse to step away, Alice set her glass on a nearby table, and asked, "Are you okay without me for a sec?"

"More than. Go ahead."

Left behind were two half-full glasses that wouldn't be touched again. Bella reached the door just as the countdown rang through the air, starting from ten.

Edward didn't wait for a time to tell him to act. As soon as the door closed behind her, he had her back against it. He hovered near her mouth and pressed his thumb against the bottom of the V on her dress. "You're driving me crazy."

"That's kind of the point." She puckered her lips, but he moved away from her kiss.

"You didn't want me to kiss you there before. I'm not kissing you there now."

She started to protest, but he moved his lips to the column of her throat and said, "There are so many other places I can kiss you though. Are you gonna say no?"

His mouth moved down the exposed skin her dress didn't cover, and she was glad that she had gone through with wearing it. Her fingers wound through his hair as his teeth skimmed her flesh. She almost said, "No," but that's not what she meant. Instead, she said, "I'm not going to say that, but I'm going to need you to kiss my lips now."

And he did—firm and fast, but still soft. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and held on to his neck.

"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked as their bodies, high on hormones, sought each other despite where they were.

"Yeah." Bella didn't let go of him. She wasn't ready to stop, to leave, even though leaving meant more, it also meant a break between what they'd already started. "I just have to say goodbye. Did you drive?"

"No." He didn't make a move to leave either and instead turned his attention back to her chest.

Bella managed to fish out her keys and put them in his hand. "I'll meet you outside." Her head was clear enough to know that her feelings of elation weren't from his kiss alone, and she'd watched him all night and knew how little he'd drank.

"Okay," he said as he took her keys. "You go ahead. I need a minute before I can go out there."

Bella moved the back of her hand down the front of his pants. "So you do."

Bella chuckled when he hissed and left him there so she could say goodnight to her friends.

~Red Charade~

Bella dropped her purse on the small table beside the door and took her heels off and placed them in the nook below it. Edward's shoes followed, fitting just right in the place beside hers. She took off her borrowed earrings and felt her head lighten with the absence of their weight.

There were no lights turned on in the apartment, just shadows cast off furniture from the peeks of moonlight and streetlights that filtered through the blinds. Edward stood behind her, locking his lips to her neck and bunching her dress up in his fingers until he found the elastic strings resting on top of her hips. "You and this dress."

Bella's head reclined back on his shoulder, and she braced her hands on his thighs as his fingers dipped inside of her. The feel of his breath on the back of her neck turned her to mush as much as his fingers did.

As he worked her body, she was working his. As she ground against his hand, her backside was grinding in just the right spot on him. He pushed the elastic down, and when the small garment fell around her ankles, she stepped out of it. The fabric was forgotten in the entryway as they made their way to the bedroom.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Edward said at the same moment that Bella undid the button and zipper on his pants, freeing him from the tightened space she had created in his jeans. As her delicate fingers found their way into his boxers, he groaned.

"I'm not sure I know that," she said, loving the feel of unraveling him. "You'll have to convince me."

He spoke an inch away from her neck. "I could convince you with my words, or my fingers," he said as he slid his fingertips up the side of her neck, "or my mouth." He replaced his fingers with open-mouthed kisses.

"All of them," Bella managed to say as she moved her head to the side, giving his mouth more area to work with. "Always all of them."

He sucked on her skin with just enough pressure to create a slight burn, but not enough to leave marks on her. "Every damn inch of you is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Every damn inch." He pushed the sides of her V-neck until her breasts were exposed, but her shoulders were still covered.

He followed his verbal praise with a lingering caress and a skilled tongue on pebbling flesh. They fell together on the bed, and still mostly clothed, she helped guide him inside of her. As they found their rhythm, she pulled up the back of his shirt and moved her hands under it, loving the feel of his skin as much as she loved the feel of his breath on hers.

Edward's movements stilled and with his nose against her cheekbone asked, "Hey, babe?"

Her fingernails skimmed his shoulder blades. "Yeah?"

"When do you want kids?" He really never did stop talking.

"I … what?" The ministrations of her fingers halted, and her arms fell to her sides. "Are you really asking me this right now?"

With a palm against her hip, he pressed deeper inside of her. "Now seems like the best time, don't you think?"

"Because this is how they're made?" she asked, the warm flush from their bodies connecting being replaced by a cool covering of confusion.

"Yeah," he said, lifting off of her and removing his shirt.

"Are you drunk?" she asked, not sure if he actually wanted an answer.

"Only on you. How 'bout you? Still feelin' it?" He took off his pants and folded them with his shirt.

"No," she said a little defensive, but she could still feel the dizzying effects of the alcohol. Bella pulled her arms out of her dress. "Maybe I'm a bit bubbly still, but just a bit." She giggled, appreciating the feeling more than she had before when Alice had said it even though her buzz was fading.

"I bet you are." Edward laughed and kissed her bare shoulder. After they'd freed themselves from the remainder of their clothing, Edward laid beside her. "The kid thing though, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Her mind wasn't wrapping around it very well. She knew the answer. It wasn't as if she'd never thought about it, but the way he asked had her questioning her former reasoning. Even still, she gave him the only answer she had. "After school at some point." She pulled him back over the top of her. "Maybe two or three years from now." She smoothed away the hair that had fallen against his forehead. "What about you?"

"Meh, whenever."

She chuckled at his nonchalant answer as he moved back inside of her, and she effectively kept his chatter at bay by keeping his tongue tangled with hers.

~Red Charade~

Bella awoke to a blissful moment filled with warmth from both the body heat created beneath the spot she had settled into and Edward's hands caressing her legs. It didn't last long.

Edward yanked at the blanket she was wrapped around. "How did you get all the blankets so tangled around you?" He pulled again and caused her slack body to roll to the side.

She frowned as she lost the warmth from the spot she was in. "I was probably trying to keep you from stealing them. Why are you awake? I wasn't done with you."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked with a suggestive narrow of his eyes.

She pushed her cold toes against his leg. "Yeah, you're warm."

He shook his head. "No love. No love."

"So much." She reached toward him. "Please come back."

He cocooned them in the blanket, blocking out everything else. "I'm sorry for springing that on you last night."

"The kid talk?" she asked.

"Yeah." He sighed. "James brought his kids into work the other day, and I don't know … they say funny shit."

"And you want one?" she asked as she admired the light in his eyes as he spoke through his nerves.

"Yeah. I'm cool waiting though."

She held as still as the bed posts that stood at each corner around them. Everything in her wanted to nod, to smile, to say, "Let's." She didn't give into the desire she had by agreeing to something that could make his smile lift higher. The day before, she wasn't trying to have kids. That wasn't something that should be decided overnight.

Rubbing the stubble on his jawline, she told him, "You and I have a tendency to do things on a whim, and I think this is one of those things we need to try really hard to take our time on." At the resignation in his features, she continued on. "And all that's because I really want to say let's go for it."

His answering smile was all that she needed to know that it was okay, but also made her want to just go for it all the more. She'd let those thoughts settle in.

When her mom sent her a Happy-New-Year text, Bella told Edward, "I'm sending my mom the picture of us that I took last night."

Edward grabbed his phone, "Send it to me. I'll send it to my mom, too."

It was Edward's mom that answered first.

"What'd she say?" Bella asked.

"She wants to know if we're using the relationship word yet."

Bella tugged at the waistband of his boxers and splayed her hand from his hip to his thigh. "What are you telling her?"

Late morning sun bathed them in the kind of calm that only comes with days off that carry no expectations.

After he sent a message off to his mom, he said, "That I'd go with a stronger word."

When Bella received a text from her mom, she looked at Edward from over the top of the screen. "She says you're in love with me. She can tell."

"I guess they have that in common," Edward said as he took her phone and set it on the nightstand.

"What's that?" She looked into his eyes meeting the adoration she found there as he moved on top of her.

"A need for stronger words." He moved down to press a kiss to her navel, moved up a few inches to between her ribs and kissed again, but before they got carried away, he asked, "Do we have plans, or can we stay in bed all day?"

She pressed her legs to his sides as if they were bookends doing exactly what they were made to do. "We need to go throw away all the food we left at my place at some point, but other than that—"

Edward didn't let her get another word out. Bella wasn't the only one who could halt conversation by tantalizing with her mouth.

~Red Charade~

Bella's frustration with not seeing Angela outside of work didn't happen overnight. It was true, they spent a lot of time together at work, and that there was a lot of downtime they spent amusing each other with childhood stories and discussions about current events. It was also true that as the anniversary of her employment neared, Bella could count the times she had seen Angela outside of work by holding up a closed fist.

As Bella waited for Angela to arrive at work after her classes, she made sure she had plenty to keep her busy. She didn't feel like talking any more than what was required of her for work. After Angela was a no-show at the party, she hadn't heard from her since the last text she'd sent showing Bella how bored she was. After months of one-sided effort, Bella was done trying.

When Angela came through the door, Bella didn't look up. Even when Angela placed a vanilla latte on the desk between Bella and her keyboard, Bella muttered, "Thanks," and kept her eyes on the screen in front of her.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it. There was some announcement we had to wait for that ended up having absolutely nothing to do with Ben."

Bella nodded her acknowledgment as she deleted and retyped a sentence with the exact same words.

Angela spun in her chair playfully as her computer started up. "Anything interesting happen yet this morning?"

"Just the usual dozen faxes and thousands of photocopies." Bella didn't grumble about papercuts as she would most days, and she didn't touch her latte. Usually, she'd be inhaling the steam and thanking Angela profusely.

"Everything okay?" Angela asked.

"Yeah." Bella forced the smile that their job had taught her to be very good at. "Just things." She waved toward the assignment on her computer screen.

"Tis the way of it. I'll be neck deep in things next week. Coffee helps. Drink, Bella. Drink it all."

Bella couldn't help but smile as she lifted the cup and inhaled. It was Angela more than it was the coffee that had her grinning despite her heavy feelings. Bella had to steady her breathing to keep her eyes from welling up. She had no experience with putting bumpers up on her friendship with Angela.

When the phone rang, Angela said, "I'll be up until you're done. You work on your stuff."

An hour passed and Bella looked at her assignment with guilt. She'd been proofreading the same paper since Angela had arrived and had only taken one call that she only had to transfer and hang up. Angela had been greeting clients and snatching the phone before Bella had a chance.

When the clock hit noon, Bella jumped up from her chair and let it roll behind her. "I'm done. I'll go grab lunch."

Angela nodded, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder as she repeated directions for the third time. Bella bypassed the pizza place even though it was what she was craving. Angela liked her pizza cooked a little longer, and they tended to burn it. She headed to the sandwich joint that didn't mind that Angela wanted seasoning put directly on her mayonnaise, and Bella was always impressed with their cheese selection. It was a nice compromise to what she actually wanted because the cheese was her favorite part anyway.

She was good at the compromises, always finding a way to make things work in the end. Edward made compromises seem so easy, and even if there was some huffing and puffing between them when it came to figuring things out with Alice and Rosalie, they always managed to deal. When it came to Angela, Bella couldn't figure it out. Why couldn't they take that step from work friends to friends?

When Bella returned, she greeted the gentleman waiting in the lobby and set the sandwich in front of Angela. "Are we waiting for a conference room?" Bella asked while looking at the man who was reading the paper as if he planned to hang out awhile.

Angela wrote on a post-it, "Tia is stalling until Laurent gets back from lunch to help her deal with this one."

"Water?" Bella wrote back, wondering if she should offer the man some.

Angela tried not to laugh as she wrote, "He asked for a Dixie cup."

Bella held her breath. People were particular about their water. Once they got past the lobby, they'd be offered coffee, but that was a whole other ordeal entirely.

Angela answered the phone when it rang and mouthed to Bella that it was Tia.

"Sir," Angela said. "Ms. Graves is still tied up, but she asked me to show you to the conference room."

When Angela returned, she said, "I really am sorry about New Year's Eve. Do you want to maybe come over for dinner later in the week? I swear I can cook."

"Seriously?" Bella asked, caught up on Angela's question.

"I mean, yeah. I've burnt a few recipes on the first try, so you might be taking a risk, but c'mon, all the best things are risky. What do ya say?"

It took Bella a moment to find her words. She'd never invited Angela over to her place, maybe a change of venue would have made all the difference in her past attempts. "Oh, I'm sure you're fine. Sorry, I was just thrown off. Of course, I'll come."

"Cool," Angela said and unwrapped her sandwich. "Wait, why were you thrown off?"

Bella felt small as she admitted, "You've never invited me anywhere before. I was starting to wonder if I was pushing myself on you."

Angela scrunched up her nose and adjusted her glasses. "I'm sorry. I do want to hang out with you, but if Ben doesn't have plans, then ..."

"He can always come and even bring some friends, or I'm always up for hanging out with your other friends if you want. Whatever."

"Yeah, about that." Angela picked at her sandwich instead of making her usual assessment of how it was made. "We don't really have other friends. It's just Ben and me. I can't get him to come when you invite me out. He feels weird going out with a bunch of girls, and I don't want to ditch him."

"So you don't go out then unless it's just with him?" Bella asked.

Angela sucked in the corner of her lip and released it with a tick. "I know it sounds different since you're single, and I'm married, but it's like after school and work, I really just want to go home and be with him. Not making it to New Year's made me really think about all that though. I always go to his work events, but we never go to anything for me unless it's the occasional family thing. I hope you believe me when I say that I'm going to try to be a better friend."

Bella nodded, things making more sense than they did before, but she was nervous about what she was about to do. "You're fine. I get it. Maybe it'd work out better if we did a couples thing. I'm actually not single. I've mentioned Edward to you before, right?"

"Edward?" Angela asked. "He's one of the guys that shows up when you go out sometimes, isn't he?"

Bella nodded.

"Ha! I knew it." Angela pointed within inches from Bella's nose. "You have this goofy smile whenever you talk about them. So, you're seeing him now?"

After a double blink and deep swallow, Bella said. "Yeah, but it's not new. It's sort of been going on since August."

Bella pulled up their New Year's Eve photo on her phone, hoping a visual would help her see that Bella was for real.

Angela took the phone, and her eyes bulged. "You've been holding out on me since August?"

Bella wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. "It all happened so fast, and then the reality of it set in really hard. We just wanted to figure it for ourselves before we listened to other people judge us for rushing into it."

"Oh, honey, no." Angela turned the phone to show Bella the photo. "If the two of you were anywhere near this cozy in August, I would have said rush, rush away."

Bella sighed but braced herself for the judgment that she was sure would come and keep coming with each person she told. "I love you for saying that, but I'm not so sure you would have said that back when we ran off and got married two weeks after we met." She wiggled the fingers on her left hand. Even though she wasn't wearing a ring, she'd had her bracelet on that side, representing its place. "No one knows. You're the first person I've told."

"What? Wow." Angela rewrapped her sandwich as if she couldn't imagine eating it with the news Bella was telling her. "I don't even know what to say."

Laurent returned to the office and Angela informed him that Tia was anticipating his arrival, giving Bella a moment to calm herself down.

"Okay then. You need to start talking right now. I mean how does this even happen? I need details."

With a wistful yet heavy smile, Bella filled Angela in on the moment Rosalie saw Emmett and had to talk to him, and when he introduced her to Edward, she thought he looked like the wildest kind of trouble. He talked to her all night. She'd barely been able to make out a word through all the noise, but he stole her phone and her number by calling himself.

They were interrupted by the door, but as soon as the clients were out of earshot, Bella and Angela settled back in as well.

"So I know nothing about football, right? But he talks about it a lot, so I would try to talk all confident about it like what I was saying was actually right." Her sandwich sat barely touched as Bella recalled the early moments with Edward. "So apparently, pretending I knew all about football made him fall in love with me."

Angela said, "If I had known, I could have given you a football crash course. I've been grilling Ben about it for years, and I almost understand it. Almost."

"Yes," Bella said with a chuckle. "You should school me on it, so I can really throw him off next season."

Angela watched Bella's face light up and smiled as she listened. "And how did we go from I love you because you pretend you know football to secretly married?"

Bella let out a content sigh as she explained giving Edward a hint about where they'd be hanging out the next weekend after they'd met only to be surprised with Alice and Rose wanting to leave as soon as they saw them, a fact that still didn't make a lot of sense.

Angela spun Bella's chair, so they were facing each other. "The married part, Bella. The married part."

"I don't know. It wasn't any wild story. He just said it. The first time I stayed at his place, we woke up and the first thing he says is, 'I wanna marry you.'"

"And so you did?"

Bella nodded. "A few days later he said it again, so I told him to prove it."

Angela held a finger to her lips. "Does anyone even know you're seeing each other? I just thought you had a crush on the dude."

"Our parents think we're dating, but that's it. Edward's a total mama's boy. He would have told everyone we'd gotten married if he wasn't worried it would hurt her to not have been included." Bella picked at her thumbnail. "I hope you're not mad at me for not saying anything, but I get it if you are."

Angela was silent for a moment as if she was taking it all in. "So, I'm like half annoyed you didn't tell me and half excited," Angela said even though the excited part was all that was readable on her face. "We are totally doing that double date thing all the time now."

~Red Charade~

With the music from his phone turned up loud through docking station speakers, Edward didn't notice Bella approach him from behind as he stood to the side of the stove keeping an eye on the meal he had cooking.

In a swift motion, Bella pushed her cold hands up the back of Edward's shirt. "I love that you get home before I do."

He hissed at the cool temperature of her skin against his and turned off the music. "I'm sure you do. What would you do without me?"

"Be really cold while eating equally cold takeout." She flipped her hands to warm the other side.

"Then I guess it's a good thing you do have me." He pulled her hands out and held them to his mouth, warming them with his breath.

"A very good thing. Is this that carbonara recipe you were looking at?"

He dropped her hands. "How'd you know about that?"

She laughed at the nervous way he looked around as if she had cameras following him. "I follow you on Pinterest."

"You can follow people on there?" he asked, clearly flabbergasted. "Are you going to be suspicious if I make an account that you don't know about."

Bella couldn't imagine what he could possibly be wanting to hide from her on there. "I guess I can avoid suspicion on your secret crafting and recipe perusal if you can look past the latest dating profile Alice signed me up for."

He tilted his head to the side like he was pondering what she'd said. "Can I make a profile and pick you up on it?"

She gave the noodles a stir since they had lost his attention. "You can try, but Alice has high hopes for me."

Edward pulled out plates and set them on the counter. "I'm pretty awesome, so I think I might have a chance. Can I see it?"

Bella searched through her phone, finding the link Alice had sent. She handed it to Edward and set about dishing up their plates. She tried to arrange the food the way Edward would have with perfect spacing between pasta and bread. She thought he was a perfectionist, but he would never admit to it, and he never corrected the way even her best efforts ended up slightly off-kilter.

Edward opened the fridge as he read the profile, but closed it without getting anything out. "Must love snuggling up in cozy coffee shops, drinking cappuccinos, and reading together. This is impossible. I don't have three arms. Those couches in coffee shops are always taken anyway. What do you do? Make a reservation for those?"

His defeated expression tore at her heart. "I'm not sure she meant for all that to be done simultaneously. And besides, I didn't come up with any of it." She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed as if she could make him feel how deep her affections for him went if she just held hard enough. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if one of his friends made him a dating profile.

After pressing a kiss to her forehead, he said, "Can I drink hot chocolate and read sports articles on my phone?"

She smiled up at him. "From our own home even."

He moved his lips to her mouth. "If I keep my Pinterest perusal public, will you delete the profile?"

She lifted up to kiss him again. "As soon as I get the login. Happily married people don't need dating profiles. I don't know what Alice doesn't understand about that."

Edward scoffed, and they went back to getting dinner on the table.

One bite of pasta in and Bella moaned. "You're getting really good at this dinner thing."

Edward laughed as Bella went for a larger bite. "Thanks. You know, you're getting really good at … never mind." He looked down at his plate as his teeth sunk into his lower lip.

Bella's mind went all over the place and landed on the sexual aspects of their relationship that she thought had always worked well, but she wasn't as confident in the beginning.

Squeezing her fingers in her lap, Bella had lost her appetite, not so much because of her former lack of sexual skills, but because of the insecurity with each other they had both displayed that evening.

"Babe, come here," Edward said and pushed his chair back.

Bella took a deep breath before going over and sitting across his lap. Her thoughts, her body, both were unsteady, so she buried her face in his shoulder to find a sense of grounding.

Edward lifted her chin until their gazes met. "What did you think I was going to say?"

"I don't know. I guess sex stuff."

His brow furrowed. "Why? I thought we were really good at that part."

"We are now," she said, "but maybe I wasn't so good at all that before."

"Seriously?" he asked. "You've always been hot as hell. I loved being with you then. I love being with you now."

Bella mouthed a silent, "Oh." Weaving her fingers through his hair, she sucked his lower lip into her mouth and wasn't disappointed when he gripped her thighs. She pushed her chest against his and realized how silly her moment of insecurity was. Even in the beginning, she'd never felt sexier than she did with him.

Before they got too carried away, Bella stopped kissing him, and between panting breaths said, "Wait, what were you going to say then?"

Edward squeezed his eyes shut before he told her. "I was going to say that you've gotten good at saying _ours_ instead of _yours_ or _mine_."

"Oh," Bella said. "Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"Because I like it, and I feel like pointing it out will ruin how naturally you've been saying it."

"It won't." As his smiled lifted, she kissed the corner of his mouth. "I told Angela everything."

"You serious? How'd that go?"

"Really good. She said something about me not understanding what it's like to be married, but she was wrong. I'm married." She took his face in her hands and brought hers level with his, feeling the smoothness of his freshly shaven face. "I'm so totally doing the married thing. We're not just trying to figure it anymore, ya know? We're just doing this. You and me. Even if no one knows. But Angela, now she knows. We're going to have babies, and I'm going to finish school and get a job where I do more than smile, and Angela won't be there, but we'll figure it out. Me and you. We're doing this."

The way Edward looked at her gave her all the support she needed and all the pieces of her life became clearer, and her future looked even brighter than she ever realized.

"And you know what else?" she asked, taking a breath after her long-winded speech.

"What?" Edward asked as if he was ready for a major reveal.

"I don't have to freeze in tiny clothes at clubs and bars every time I want to go out with my friends. There are cafés and restaurants and movies. We could even throw a dinner party. What do you think?"

He pursed his lips like he was thinking about it. "Can we make it a Super Bowl party?"

"Of course." Bella nodded. She'd have to have Angela teach her about football sooner rather than later.

"Then I'm in." He held out his hand, and they shook on it.

~Red Charade~

Friday morning as Bella got ready to leave for the day, she got out a pad of paper and a pen. "The theater we're going to has assigned seats, and we already bought our tickets. I wrote down our seat numbers. The movie starts at 7:15, and it is red … very red."

Edward took the offered slip of paper and kissed her goodbye. "How the hell do you keep getting away with all this red shit?"

With her hand on the door, poised to leave, Bella asked? "What … you really didn't like my red dress?"

"Loved the dress. Loved you in the dress. Loved you out of the dress. I don't love the reason behind all the red."

Bella waved her hand in front of her as if the reason was displayed right there. " _Be red. See red._ And besides, I didn't name the clubs or the movie. It's just the way things are around here."

"Sure it is."

"Don't be a sore loser. There's always next year."

"You do know the Cardinals didn't make the playoffs either, right?" Edward asked.

"A win's a win. I'm thinking of getting a custom jersey. You know, one with my last name on the back."

"Oh, okay, Swan. I'll go get that ordered for you. You do know you were born in Seattle, right? In the grand scheme of things, Phoenix is just a small blip."

Bella shook her head at him. She had lived in Phoenix for three-fourths of her life. "Cullen."

"Yeah?" he asked as if she had just called his name.

"No, for my jersey. I'm not going to work today." She held up the folder she had tucked under her arm. "I'm working on that name change. Can you see it now? Cullen on Cardinals' red. All your Seahawk jerseys will be jealous."

She opened the door and walked out with a huge grin.

He put his foot in front of the door as she tried to close it. "If you're running around changing your name, I'm taking a sick day."

Bella went back inside so Edward could email his boss. As he typed, she said, "When you're done with that, let's order my jersey."

With a sly grin, Edward said, "Whatever you say, Cullen."

~Red Charade~

Later that night, the girls found their seats while balancing popcorn and drinks. Bella could feel the difference in her life with every step. Her name change was in progress, and telling everyone what they'd done was soon coming.

Emmett's voice could be heard before he rounded the corner. "What's Blood Moon about anyway?" His face lit up when he saw the girls in the seats beside the ones he was looking for. "Well, funny seeing you ladies here."

"Yeah, real funny," Rosalie said. "Did you at least get us candy?"

"What kind would you like?" Emmett asked, pulling on the strings of his sweatshirt.

"Chocolate please." Rosalie seemed resigned to them being there with not even a flash of irritation in her eyes.

Jasper turned to Alice and questioned her with his eyebrows.

Alice replied as if she'd been expecting his question. "I like anything with peanuts. Thanks, Jazzy."

Whether it was New Year's Eve or their promises to be nicer and pay better attention, Bella was both surprised and relieved by the change.

Edward looked at Bella. "Don't ask. Just do, right?"

Bella stifled her laughter. "Sure. I trust you."

Rosalie elbowed her. "Geez, Bella. Don't be difficult. He obviously really likes you."

Bella grimaced as she rubbed her arm.

"Hey, Edward!" Alice yelled after him. "She likes licorice."

He waved back at her. "Thanks, Allison."

"Dang, why did I help him?"

Rosalie nudged Alice with her elbow jab. "I don't know, Jazzy."

"Whatever, Rose. Hang around Emmett much?" she asked and elbowed her back.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Alice. Anyway, since when did this go from them hanging around and annoying us as a group to us pairing off?"

"Must have been whatever happened on New Year's." Bella moved her straw to her lips.

"Or when you let Edward dance and kiss all over you at Blush," Rosalie said.

Bella coughed on her drink. He definitely had not kissed all over her at Blush, but that night, she definitely wanted him to.

Rosalie patted her back. "I know you told them this time. I know I didn't, and Alice just barely got her tweet out."

"Fine," Bella said. "You caught me."

Rosalie didn't look mad. She looked proud of herself for figuring it out. "Well, don't think I'm switching seats."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Bella said as the theater filled and the guys returned bearing candy.

No one said anything when Edward held Bella's hand. If they had, Bella had no intention of letting go. She looked over at Rosalie and Alice, and the group collectively was the worst for the setting they were in. Rosalie kept flipping her hair and kneading her shoulder like she was trying to get comfortable and look pretty at the same time. Alice was typing on her phone, and Bella would have assumed she was tweeting if it weren't for vibration she heard coming from the other end of the row.

After the movie ended, Edward and Bella stood under an awning outside, avoiding the sprinkling rain as they waited for their friends who had headed to the bathrooms. Edward pulled Bella closer. "I'm secondhand nervous for you and firsthand nervous for me, and I think the combination is messing with my lifespan. Are you sure you want to tell them everything?"

She looked at her naked ring finger. "We have to tell them. I just hope they don't hate us."

"I'm not worried about my friends, so don't worry about that. And if Angelica didn't hate you, I'm sure those two can get over it."

"Angelica?"

He smirked. "Is Angela short for something else?"

"No." She laughed, stood on her toes and kissed him knowing she was never going to offer him just her cheek again.

Rosalie cleared her throat. "So we kiss now?"

Edward rubbed the back of his neck and wrapped his arms around his wife. "Sometimes," he said.

"All the time, really," Bella looked up at him, seeking reassurance.

Alice pulled Bella out from under Edward's embrace. "Sorry, Edwardson. This girl is coming home with us tonight."

Edward reached for Bella's hand. "What? Why?" He turned his questioning to Bella. "Babe?"

Before Bella could figure out what to do, Rosalie chimed in. "Because it seems you and babe here have been doing quite a bit more than _sometimes kissing_ all the time, and you're helping prove that suspicion right now."

It was at that moment that Bella understood Angela not wanting to leave Ben behind. She didn't like the idea of Edward going home and sleeping without her, especially with it being unplanned, but Edward seemed to understand.

Edward kissed her and said, "I love you. Call me if you need me to rescue you."

"Do you hear this?" Rosalie asked Alice. "Bella Swan you have a whole lotta talkin' to do."

Bella didn't respond or correct her on her last name like her tongue was itching to do. Instead, she kissed Edward again and said, "Love you, too."

"Lots of talkin'," Alice said, but when she kissed Jasper right after, Rosalie said, "You won't be the only one doing the talkin'."

Bella said, "I see that."

Edward turned to his friends. "All night videos games. Who's in?"

Emmett's fist went into the air. "Yes!"

"I've got everything we need at my place." Jasper held Alice around the waist as he spoke to his friends.

As they worked out the details, Bella watched the exchange, not having realized she'd been keeping Edward from something they'd evidently did often in the past.

In Bella's ear, before they parted ways, Edward said, "Nothing anyone says is going to change anything with us, okay?"

She nodded. She knew that. It was probably the only thing she was sure of.

Once at Rosalie and Alice's place, Bella borrowed a pajama top from Rose, and they pushed back the sofa to make a big bed on the floor. Strands of white lights bordered the room, and pink and black accents represented two best friends whose dream of one day living together had come true. Bella had been envious in the past, but as she'd looked around the apartment, she didn't long to live there anymore.

"I love this. Don't you love this," Alice said as she threw down some pillows. "Why haven't we ever done this before?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Because this isn't junior high, and you and I have a sleepover every night from our own beds."

"Speaking of beds." Alice patted the blanket on the floor between her and Rosalie. "Bella, do you remember what yours looks like?"

Bella took the spot between them and tried to prepare herself for what was to come, but there was no way to know what their reaction would be. "Sort of. It's been awhile."

Alice had them huddle in for a photo so she could tweet it out. "And you didn't think we'd approve or something?"

"Something like that," Bella said.

Alice took Bella's hair in her hands and started separating it into three pieces. "I get that to an extent. We were really quick to brush them off, but can we now admit that my tweets had nothing to do with them finding us every week?"

"Not really." Bella leaned toward Alice as she started to braid. "I just gave Edward hints, but I think most weeks, they had to check your tweets."

"Yeah, yeah. And if they couldn't figure it out, Emmett texted me, and I just told him. It's all our faults. Let's move on." Rosalie stopped Alice's hands. "Let me do it. Where'd you learn to braid?"

Alice let Rosalie take her place and moved to sit in front of Bella. "So you're already exchanging I love yous. Anything else we should know about?"

"Well for starters, my lease is up at the end of the month, so..."

Rosalie whistled. "Well, this escalated quickly."

"Are you sure you're ready for all that?" Alice asked. "That's a really big step."

"Oh, you're one to talk," Rosalie said. "She kissed Jasper on New Year's Eve, and she's already trying to name their children."

"For real?" Bella asked.

"I know right." Rosalie let Bella's braid go slack and tucked her toes under the blankets. "She's Miss Oblivious to the guy for months, and now she has baby fever out of nowhere."

As Alice stuck out her tongue at Rosalie, Bella said, "I kinda mentioned to Edward that Alice is really into the whole matching belt and shoes things."

"That makes a lot of sense actually," Alice said.

"Really, Allison?" Rosalie asked. "That's what did it?"

"No." Alice got up on her knees. "What makes sense is that he had a confidence boost that night. It must have been the advice. The first thing he said to me was, 'Don't go too far. Come midnight, I want to be standing next to you."

Bella awed, but Rosalie laughed. "That's so cheesy."

Alice hit her with a pillow. "Oh, shut up. Tell me, how is it that they know where we live again?"

That straightened Rosalie out real quick.

"Sorry," Alice said. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's okay," Rosalie said.

Bella moved, so she wasn't directly between the two as they hugged over something Bella wasn't aware of. "Am I missing something?" Bella asked.

Rosalie looked around as if her eyes couldn't settle on what to focus on. "I cheated on Garrett with Emmett. That's why we broke up."

Bella picked at a loose string on the blanket beneath her. She wanted to say the right thing, but the situation was tricky. "You broke up with him right away, right? You didn't keep on with Garrett like nothing ever happened, did you?"

"No," Rosalie said. "Of course not. I told him the next day, but he forgave me, and I broke up with him anyway."

Bella took both of Rosalie's hands. The situation felt as if it called for double support. "I don't condone the cheating part, but I don't think you and Garrett were ever going to work. You didn't seem all that into each other."

Rosalie let out a humorless airy chuckle. "Apparently, I should have told you and not Allison. She cried and said I was selfish."

Alice plopped to the floor with her legs crisscrossed and a gallon of rocky road in her arms. "Because I was trying to hook up with his friend. You could have given me a warning, but it's okay. I forgive you."

Rosalie ignored Alice's offering of a spoon, and instead looked at Bella. "Are you sure you don't want to live here instead? I think I have a free room."

Bella took two spoons and handed one to Rosalie. "Tempting, but I'm pretty set on staying at Edward's, but enough about me. What about Emmett?"

"I like him, okay?" Rosalie jabbed her spoon in the ice cream. "I really like him. He has no idea about Garrett though. I told him I wasn't trying to see anyone, and he's just like, 'If you ever change your mind, I'm always going to be interested.' Every time we see them, he gives me this look to see if anything's changed, and I'm just a bitch."

"You should tell him what happened," Bella said. "Maybe you can start over."

Rosalie gave her a slight smile. "Maybe."

Alice slowly pulled her spoon out of her mouth. "Bella, my love. I feel like it's time for this conversation to go back to you."

Bella hooked her finger around her bracelet. "Okay, just try to understand that we were excited and reckless, and when it was all said and done, we thought telling people would make us question our decision. It felt so new, and we were scared we'd lose it because we really didn't know what the hell we were doing." Bella took a deep breath. The moment had come. "We got married in August and didn't tell anyone."

Rosalie sputtered. "You did not."

Alice gasped.

"We just ran off and did it, and then we were waiting to tell people until we were sure that it was going to work out. I'm pretty sure he would have told people a lot sooner, but I was waiting to get past the exciting, new relationship stage that got us in this mess in the first place, and that stage hasn't even passed yet. I'm like deliriously happy with him, and maybe that's going to fade, and this is all going to be a big mistake." A sob caught in Bella's throat. "People are going to think that, and I wasn't prepared to hear it before, but it doesn't make me any less married or any less of a liar for not telling anyone."

The long pause that followed felt like an eternity like Bella was walking the plank, waiting to be saved. In the end, she'd still have Edward, but Bella wanted her friends and family, too, and for that, she had to face the consequences.

"Can someone say something? I'm like shaking." Bella tried to steady her hands.

Rosalie spoke first. "I don't know. I don't like the way this feels."

Alice rested her head on Bella's shoulder. "I guess I just thought we were all closer than this."

"We are," Bella said. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Rosalie said, and at Bella's confusion added. "I should have told you about Emmett. If I had you probably would have told us, too. Hell, if I were you, I wouldn't have told me either."

"I'm sorry, too," Alice said and moved to sit between the other two. "We should all feel like we can come to each other with stuff like this. Let's try harder." She held up her pinkies, and they swore on it.

There were sniffles and hugs as they discussed the details they hadn't shared about the three guys who'd turned their lives in circles. As their secrets were exposed, their bond grew stronger. The night turned into early morning, but the yawns were nonexistent, and the adrenaline was still high.

"So what now?" Bella asked.

"I don't know," Alice said. "What do you think the guys are doing?"

Rosalie stood up. "Let's figure out where Jasper lives. We have a guy's night to crash."

Bella sent a text to Edward that said, "I love you, but where are you? I need a hint."

.

A/N: Prompt Quote: We have been happily married since August … (No one else knows.)


End file.
